I just thought it was a really stupid question at a really stupid time. It's the unstoppable Sam Kerr -- Women's World Cup team preview: Norway Then in a cosmic coincidence, Norway winds up in the same group as France. Do you think you'll follow it closely? My motivation is staying at the top as long as possible. It was a shock -- for everyone. I've got a lot of teammates playing.
What did you get from that book? Total opposite: great success in the World Cup, and our club system has struggled. Playing football can be damn harsh, but every day is a fight for equality. Ever since, I just put that behind me and try to perform at the highest level with Lyon. Sometimes I would call my mom, and I would be so angry. They've got the guts, and they're together about it. When the media asked me what I told the federation, I said, that's between me and them so they can work on it.
I understand you like biographies. You go back to your club, and you have, like, 200 people watching your games. You have your everyday life in the club, and then you go to the national team maybe once every second month. So bringing the buzz from big tournaments into your everyday club life, getting people to show up at your games, that's important. I was just so afraid of keeping it at my place. It took me to the highest levels, the Ballon d'Or. I felt this weight on my shoulders more and more: This isn't working.
But it's still a long, long way to go, and you can see it in small examples every day. The joy of repeating is quite different from the joy of doing something for the first time. When you're quite sure about yourself and the values and where you want to go, it's easy to make difficult choices. People stay here a long time because they love it, they actually have a comfortable life here, and they can live from football and compete at the highest level. It's all about changing attitudes. I'm in a club that has standards, and I'm used to that.
It was such a hard thing to do. Was it hard for you to give it up? Hegerberg's incandescent talent -- honed by her five seasons with superclub Olympique Lyonnais and her solo workouts during breaks for international play -- have lifted her to the top of the game, embodied when she hoisted the inaugural women's Ballon d'Or trophy last year. It was about Muhammad Ali. You should have balance between humor and what's not acceptable. We're still in a time when an insult to a woman can gain more attention than an accomplishment. I try to read a lot of women's biographies as well because I think there are a lot more women out there who are like Alis.
I couldn't go any other way. It's impossible to play football in a world among men and not fight for equality. I got this question from a journalist as well: Do you consider yourself a football player or a feminist? But those weeks in front of that decision were almost like a depression. If he'd asked M'bappe that question, they would be like, what is he doing? How do you view what the U. I feel like I was placed in a system where I didn't have a voice.
It can't be easy when a woman stands and tries to be critical in a positive way. But it doesn't seem like they took it in the way they should have. Why do you think there's that disconnect? I've had some years at the top now, but I know I can continue if I do things right. Why do you have to choose?. I could perform on the highest level again. For me at that point, being able not to lose myself and not to lose what I believe in, I had to take that choice. But there's no emotional connection.
Is there a better future? It's demanding sometimes, even when it goes well. And I feel that responsibility myself as well. What's the last one you read? He was a hard-working man. I've heard a lot of people talking about how big the World Cup is going to be, and I really hope that happens. The way I work, I always ask myself: What did go well this year, and what do we need to work on? I never considered myself less worthy than a man in football. If you don't say anything, you're not strong enough, and if you react strongly, you're too strong. But we forget the fact that you have all the interest in a big tournament, then suddenly, bam! That doesn't happen that often, but sometimes you see stuff even outside football, and it just goes into me at a certain moment, and it's like, why? I know that I'm capable of it.